Month: April 2019

Solar energy is becoming more and more prevalent every year, and nowadays almost everyone is at least vaguely familiar with the concept. As of mid-2017, the U.S. has a total solar power capacity of 47.1 gigawatts, which is enough to power 9.1 million homes, and that number has only grown since then. Solar panels have known to last more than 30 years of continuous renewable production. Clearly solar energy is more popular than ever as people continue to make the switch to renewable energy sources. But how does solar energy work? What goes into making solar panels, and what other forms of renewable technology are there? Solar Energy: The Basics Simply put, solar panels and solar energy systems convert the sun's light into usable electrical energy. This form of renewable energy creates no b...

As you're wrapping up your spring cleaning, you might have found a surprising number of old family photos sitting around your house. You could put them in an album and forget about them again until next year when you're cleaning your home. Instead, use these tips to store them the right way and keep them well-preserved so you can treasure them for years to come. Watch the temperature: Just like pharmaceutical products, which can be damaged by even a two degree Celcius variation in temperature, photographs are sensitive to heat as well. When picking a place to store your photos, keep the average temperature in mind. The lower the temperature the longer your items will last because cooler temperatures slow the rate of chemical decay and reduce insect activity. Keep the temperature below ...

There are more vehicles on the roads today than there ever have been, and approximately 77% of those vehicles are in need of maintenance and repairs. And with Americans driving their cars and trucks an average of 10,000 miles every year, there has been a heavy focus on making vehicles more eco-friendly. The past few years have seen vast improvements in increasing efficiency and reducing pollution. And now, MIT researchers have introduced a way to power heavy-duty trucks, like 18-wheelers, that would further reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Research scientist Daniel Cohn and principal research engineer Leslie Bromberg have developed a new concept that could potentially power large trucks solely with batteries. Their research found that a plug-in hybrid engine system, primarily powered by b...

Although many seniors are able to gain additional healthcare coverage once they qualify for Medicare, it's not all good news -- especially for their teeth. Despite the fact that the U.S. dental industry has grown by 2.5% during the last five years, the majority of Medicare recipients do not gain dental care coverage through their insurance policies. In fact, 65% of all Medicare beneficiaries (equal to 37 million people throughout the nation) have no dental coverage at all. Since Medicare does not pay for cleanings, fillings, dentures, or crowns -- the preventative and restorative treatments seniors are likely to need most -- many older Americans are forced to pay for these services out of pocket. Medicare members who visited a dentist during 2016 paid $922 on average for these services,...